Slatkin Unbound
An interview with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s music advisor
by John Pitcher
Conductor Leonard Slatkin apparently doesn’t have a “no” button. Last June, he was at the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center, running the Nashville Symphony Orchestra through its paces, when the NSO’s leadership suddenly got an idea. Why not make Slatkin the NSO’s music advisor—in effect an acting music director— while the orchestra continues its search for a permanent leader?
Naturally, Slatkin said “yes,” even though he already has three frenetically busy gigs: music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.; principal guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London; and principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. Slatkin also maintains a blisteringly busy guest-conducting schedule, so much so that he’s earned the nickname “Last Minute Lenny.” Just last month, he agreed on a moment’s notice to lead the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on an extended European tour.
For a guy with no free time, agreeing to advise the NSO was insane. Yet there was clearly something that attracted Slatkin to Nashville, and that something turned out to be the orchestra’s steadfast commitment to American music. During his long tenure as music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (1979-1996), Slatkin became known as a champion of American music, and his recordings with that orchestra (of works by Copland, Barber and Bernstein, among others) are some of the best in the catalog.
In Nashville, Slatkin has signed a three-year contract that will see him conducting three or four subscription concerts a year along with the symphony’s summer festival concerts. He will also get to record again (something he hasn’t been able to do with the National Symphony Orchestra), leading the symphony in five recordings as part of the American Classics recording series on the Naxos label. We caught up with Slatkin at Schermerhorn in between rehearsals for the orchestra’s gala opening night concert to ask him about his work with the NSO.
NS: The NSO is currently looking for a permanent music director, following the death last year of Kenneth Schermerhorn, and people in Nashville are intensely interested in your opinions on the subject. What qualities should the new music director have, and should he or she be an American?
LS: My role here is slightly on the sidelines. I’ve never felt it was a good idea for one conductor to have too much say about the appointment of a colleague. I was asked the other day, though, whether I thought the new music director ought to be an American, and I reminded them that a lot of our great American music was actually premiered by European composers, like Reiner and Toscanini and Koussevitzky. So no, I don’t think the music director has to be an American. I’d be more interested in commitment. I would want someone who is going to be music director for 10 or 12 years, and who is going to live here and not just jet in occasionally.
What are the strengths of the Nashville Symphony, and in what areas does it need to improve?
This orchestra has a lot of spirit and clearly loves playing in this new hall. It has a beautiful string sound. We might want to work on precision of our ensemble playing, and on intonation. I think the orchestra was used to playing in the old hall, where it developed a more aggressive way of playing. That won’t be needed as much in the new hall, and I think once they get used to Schermerhorn they’ll make some of the needed changes on their own.
What are your impressions so far of Schermerhorn Symphony Center?
First of all, I think it’s really the right size hall and the sound is wonderfully clear. In fact, it’s hard to make an ugly sound in it because the acoustic is so warm. Even though the stage doesn’t look that big it has no trouble accommodating a large orchestra, so we’ll have no trouble with the Mahler during the gala. But I also really like the look of the hall. I love the idea of a hall using softer blues and greens instead of bright red. Overall, I’d say the hall has a European feel but is contemporary at the same time. So I know the hall pretty well but not the city yet. I plan to get in a car tomorrow and just drive around and get lost. That’s best way to learn any city.
What American works would you like to perform with this orchestra over the next few years?
Well, as you know, this orchestra has a program called American Encores, which is intended to give second performances to works that have never been played after their world premieres. I think you can take that program just so far since you eventually run out of good second-performance works. So we might want to expand it to include works that have been neglected. There are works out there by such American composers as Paul Creston and David Diamond that warrant more performances.
You’ll be stepping down as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra after the 2007-08 season. What will you do after that?
That’s a good question since I don’t know whether I’ll want to be a full-time music director anymore. I think I am good at it, but I’ve been doing it now for more than 30 years and I may not want to do again. I may have another orchestra in me, but I may rather guest conduct.
Finally, what do you like to do when you’re not making music?I go to ballgames whenever possible, and I go to movies and read. But what I mostly like to do when I’m at home is cook. If I weren’t a conductor I’d be a wine and food guy.
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